Spring sports practices

basketball players honored for academics

The leading scorers in the Centennial Conference have high averages off the court too.

Muhlenberg basketball juniors Spencer Liddic and Alexandra Chili were named to the Capital One Academic All-District II College Division teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

A first-team selection, Liddic will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. Chili was a second-team choice.

A double major in business administration and finance, Liddic leads the CC in both scoring (21.1 points per game) and rebounding (10.5 rebounds per game). Through games of last Sunday, he was one of six players in Division III averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Liddic made the Academic All-District second team last year and is the first Mule men’s basketball player in 30 years to be honored for academics by CoSIDA twice.

It’s the second honor in four days for Liddic, who on Monday was named CC player of the week for the second time this season.

Chili, a political science major, leads the CC at 20.6 points per game. Through games of last Sunday, she was 10th in Division III in scoring and 11th in the country in three-pointers per game. Like Liddic, she has been named CC player of the week twice in 2010-11.

District II College Division consists of all NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and two-year colleges and universities in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. To be nominated for the team, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average and a starter or significant reserve on his or her team.

This is not the first time this season that Liddic and Chili have received the same honor on the same day. Back in November, both were named MVP of the Scotty Wood Tournament. Both have also scored their 1,000th point this season. Liddic ranks 19th on the Mule men’s basketball all-time scoring list with 1,133 career points, while Chili is fourth on the women’s chart with 1,343 points.